Tagged With privacy

We've seen a lot of data breaches this year: some big, some small, some that are dangerous, and some that are just embarrassing. But if we were to name one as the creepiest data breach of 2017, this leak of logins for car tracking devices might take the cake.

A while back, I woke up to find my Android phone lingering at a pattern unlock screen. Not just to unlock my screen, but a prompt to decrypt all of my phone's data. I was puzzled. Every other morning, I decrypted my device using a 10-digit, alphanumeric passphrase — something I perceived, accurately, as being infinitely more secure than tracing a dumb pattern with my finger.

Uber has rightfully taken heat for its past privacy overreaches: Tracking riders after they get dropped off, tracking Lyft drivers, tracking and circumventing law enforcement, tracking critical journalists. A lot of tracking in situations where people expected not to be tracked!

Americans who say their phones and laptops were seized by US border agents filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts this week, arguing that their First and Fourth Amendment rights had been violated when their electronic devices were searched without a warrant.

Citing census data, an equity research analyst claims Facebook is onceagain inflating one of its key metrics, this time grossly over-reporting its ability to sell ads and effectively inventing millions more young Americans than actually exist.

The smart speakers are coming! Wandering into our living rooms, listening for our voice commands, pulling random bits of trivia from the web, spitting out weather forecasts, and controlling a growing number of home appliances. But they're always listening and currently there isn't an easy to way to know when they aren't (apart from hitting a mute button). So how do you stop TV ads, young kids and dumb roommates from controlling your speakers and revealing your most intimate secrets?

If you've ever considered sharing your every move with a significant other, you probably have an opinion about location-sharing apps. "This is great! I'll always know where they are!" is one opinion. "This is creepy! I'm not trying to stalk someone I could easy talk to instead!" is another. I'm of that second opinion.

Uber has agreed to implement a "comprehensive privacy program" as part of a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission, which alleged that the ride-hailing company stored data in an unsecured cloud service and didn't monitor how often its employees looked at user data.

Android users are facing new threats to their privacy with the recent discovery of over a thousand spyware apps on the loose. A security firm found that at least three of these apps — which are capable of covertly taking photos, recording audio and retrieving call logs — were available for download on Google Play.

As Russia transitions into an internet dystopia, it appears that Snapchat has been dragged right in. Today, Snapchat's parent company Snap was registered as an "information distribution organiser". And by 1 July 2018, an amended law will require "information distribution organisers" to store months of user data, and make it available for the Russian law enforcement upon request.

The Walt Disney Company is facing a lawsuit alleging it violated US federal law aimed at protecting children's online privacy. The company allegedly allowed ad tech companies to embed software in its apps, enabling the collection of children's personal information.

Love makes people do dumb stuff. But there are practical, easy steps we can take to maintain our privacy during romantic relationships, and changing one simple behaviour now could keep us safe later on if the relationship ends badly.

iRobot, the maker of Roomba, made big news this week when an interview with its CEO mentioned plans to sell the map data of customers' homes to third parties. Today, the company launched damage control measures and the CEO is spreading assurances that this is all just a big misunderstanding.

The Roomba is generally regarded as a cute little robot friend that no one but dogs would consider to be a potential menace. But for the last couple of years, the robovacs have been quietly mapping homes to maximise efficiency. Now, the device's makers plan to sell that data to smart home device manufacturers, turning the friendly robot into a creeping, creepy little spy.

I'm listening to Lana Del Rey right now. Her first album dropped during an emotional phase of my life, and while I'm sometimes embarrassed to admit it, I really like Born to Die. But, until a week ago, I avoided listening to it because my listening activity flipped a switch with my friends who could see me listening to Lana Del Rey on Spotify. Yes, my friends would see my listening habits, and then they'd make fun of me. This is what a world without privacy looks like.